There is a wide variety of different types of agricultural equipment. Some such equipment, for instance, includes a mobile machine that harvests crops. An example of such a mobile machine is a combine. Many combines have a tailings elevator mechanism (or tailings return elevator) that returns material being processed by the combine for additional processing (e.g., for additional threshing). During operation of the combine there is a risk that the tailings elevator will become plugged. When that happens, the operator often needs to stop the machine in order to manually unplug the elevator. This increases machine downtime, and thus reduces harvesting efficiency. It can also reduce the life of machine components, such as the tailings elevator slip clutch, or other components.
It can also be difficult for an operator to anticipate when the tailings elevator will become plugged. It often becomes plugged when the volume of tailings being moved through the elevator meets or exceeds the capacity of the elevator. The increase in tailings volume can be caused by changes in various settings on the machine, by operating the machine so that the feed rate is increased, or by a variety of changes in field conditions. For instance, if the machine encounters an area of heavy or dense weeds in the field, this can cause the tailings volume to increase at a rapid rate. An operator may be unable to react quickly enough to prevent the tailings elevator from plugging.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.